Coal mine haulage vehicle



May 7, 1946. W1 R, BECK 2,399,619

I GOAL MINE HAULAGE VEHICLE Filed May 17, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 7, 1946. w, R, BECK 2,399,619

COAL MINE HAULAGE VEHICLE Filed May 17, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 EVENTO@ Willa/4f' /ef/ @Mu M May 7, 1946. w. R. BECK COALMINE HAULAGE VEHICLE Filedy May 17, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 W2-12mm@ ,4r-ro NEY May 7, 1946. w. R. BECK 2,399,619

COAL MINE HAULAGE VEHICLE Filed May 17, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 TTORNEY May 7, 1946. w. R. BECK 4 COAL MINE HAUL'AGE VEHICLE Filed May 17, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 wif Patented May 7, 1946 2,399,619 coAL MINE HAULAGE VEHICLE William R. Beck, Chicago, Ill., assigner to `Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois y Application May 17, 1944, Serial No. 535,903

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in coal mine haulage vehicles commonly known as shuttle cars or coal buggies, of the kind used for transporting coal from the working face to a main haulage stationv of a mine.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved form'of widened material-receiving hopper at one end of the coal carrying compartment arranged to facilitate the delivery of the material toward the constricted discharge end of the compartment when moved by the bottom conveyer.

I have ascertained bytests that a very considerable amount of extrapower is required to drive the bottom conveyer with conventional forms oi.'l material-receiving hoppers previously employed, due to a wedging or blocking actionI of the material as it enters the constricted throat leading to the discharge end of the compartment. In carrying out my invention, I provide the hopper with gradually inclined bottom walls and forwardly tapered side walls, designed to minimize the wedging or blocking action of the material, and at the same time eliminate spillage of material over the side walls adjacent the restricted discharge passage of the compartment. As a result, the power required by the bottom conveyer is reduced to a minimum, while the rate of discharge of the latter is increased.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified single-wheel power drive structure for the vehicle including a live drive axle, and gearing connections having minimum space requirements.

A still further object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement .of cable reel and pay-oil" mechanism for vehicles of -this character. Other objects will appear as the following specification proceeds.

The invention may best be understood b'y reierence to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of a vehicle conthe drive elements of the machine with the parts of the gearing shown in section;

Figure 5 is a detail section taken substantially on line t-i of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail section taken on line B-t of Figure 4;

Figure 'Z is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 'I-I of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail plan viewof one side of the vehicle showing the cable reel and pay-oit mechanism associated therewith;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side view of the front end of the vehicle showing detalls of the pay-oil? mechanism; and

Figures 10 and 11 are detail sections taken on lines I0--I0 and II-II respectively of Figure 8.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the vehicle indicated generally at I0 comprises an elongated chassis I l including a pair of vertically disposed laterally spaced beams I2, I2 extending the ,full length thereof and forming the side walls of a coal carrying vcompartment indicated at I3. Each of said beams consists generally of a relatively heavy plate I4 forming the lower portion thereof, with a lighter plate I5 welded thereto to form a vertical side wall of the compartment I3, as shown in Figures 3 and 7.

The side Walls at the front and central portion of the vehicle are upright, but at the rear end of the vehicle are flared outwardly to form a hopper 33, as Will presently appear.

'Ihe chassis has two rubber-tired drive wheels it, It near the rear end mounted on axle structures il, il, which will hereinafter be described in detail. Two rubber-tired steering wheels I 8, i8

are disposed near the front end, mounted on an.

equalizing structure i9, which is substantially similar to that disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2336,386, so need not be described more fully herein.

.An endless chain flight conveyer indicated generally at it extends along and forms the bottom oi the coal carrying compartment I3 for the full length of the latter, so that the coal can be unloaded mechanically from one end of the vehicle in the usual manner. An operators platform 2i bearing the usual vehicle control devices, is provided at a forward corner of the vehicle outside of one of the upright compartment walls i2 and forwardly of the adjacent front wheel Iii, as shown in Figures l and 2.

The side walls it, I2 have horizontal deck plates 22, 22 extending laterally from their upper edges along opposite sides of the vehicle which form individual wells for the front wheels I8. A cable reel structure indicated generally at 25, is mounted beneath one of the deck plates 22, as will hereinafter be more fully described.

The side beams I2 are cross connected by a plurality of suitable frame members 23 extending between the upper and lower flights of the conveyer 20. The bottom of the compartment I3 is defined by a cross plate 30 extending between the side walls I2, and on which the upper flight of the conveyer is supported. In the-form shown herein, the cross plate 30 is made integral with the upwardly extending wall portions I 5 of the side walls I2. The lower reach of the conveyer is supported on inturned flanges 3l, 3i mounted along the lower edge of the side plates I2.

.The hopper 33 is disposed at the rear end of the vehicle and consists generally of a widened portion of the compartment I3 rearwardly of the rear wheels I6 and the portions of the deck plates 22, 22 extending thereover and forming fenders therefor. It will be understood that this hopper is provided in order to facilitate the reception of the coal from the discharge boom of a loading machine. As the hopper is filled, the conveyer 20 is operated as usual by a suitable motor 34 under control of the operator, so as to progress the coal forwardly between the upright side walls I5, at a rate designed to fill the compartment for its full length.

The upper margins of the hopper 33 are defined by opposed vertical walls, which in the form shown herein each consist of two plates 35 andv 36 joining each other at a wide angle, and connected along their upper edges to the adjacent horizontal deck plate 22, close to the outer margins of the latter. The said lateral margins of the deck plates 22 are preferably converged toward the rear end of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 1, to facilitate maneuvering of the vehicle l in the mine, so the vertical plates 35 of the hopper also converge toward the rear. The foremost vertical plates 36 converge forwardly and are joined respectively with the proximate upright side plates I5, adjacent the upper margins of the latter.

Connected along the lower edges of the upright side plates 35 and 36 are a plurality. ofplates 3l, 38, 39, and 40, all generally inclined downwardly toward the conveyer 20 to form the flaring bottom surfaces of the hopper at opposite sides of the vehicle. The number and relation of these inclined plates to eachother may be varied, or the hopper bottom may be formed in part of curved surfaces, if desired, excepting that in carrying out my invention, substantially the entirev areaof the inclined surfaces of the hopper, as

formed herein by the bottom plates 31, 38, 39. and 40, are disposed generally at a relativelyfiat angle, slightly more than the angle at which the material being handled will slide downwardly by gravity toward the conveyer. Moreover, the forwardly converging surfaces of the hopper, as exemplied by the bottom plates 39, 39, are preferably inclined rearwardly as well as downwardly so as to approach the proximate upright side walls I5, I5 along a forwardly rising plane, as will be seen in Figure 1. In the form shown, elongated plates 4I extend along this rising plane, so as to break the otherwise sharp angle between the upright plates I5 and the bottom plates 39 and 40.

I nd that in order to minimize the wedging or blocking action above referred to, the angle of inclination of the hopper bottom should not exceed approximately o more than the angle at which the material being handled will slide by gravity toward the conveyer. This angle, which for convenience may .be termed the "angle of slide, will be somewhat less thanthe normal angle of repose of the same material, and will vary not only as to different-materials and the smoothness of the ysurface over which it must slide, but also varies with the same material, depending upon whether it is in lump form or fines, or whether it is wet or dry. I nd, however, that the angle of slide of lump coal on a smooth bottom is usually in the neighborhood of 25, so that for best results in handling run-of-mine coal, the general angle of inclination of the bottom plates of the hopper 33 should be approximately 30, that is to say, it should be a few degrees more than 25, but not in excess of about 35.

From the above description of hopper 33 it will now be understood that the arrangement of the 4vertical side walls 35 and 35, and the gradually inclined bottom plates, permit the coal which is heaped in the hopper to be transferred by the conveyer into the restricted discharge passage without any blocking or arching action. This objectionable action is common in hoppers of conventional shape, where the restriction is relatively abrupt, and the bottom walls of the hopper are at a relatively sharp inclination, so as to cause the upper portions of coal at opposite sides of the conveyer to move inwardly toward each other by gravity and become wedged or blocked in front of the restricted entrance of the discharge passage, This wedging or blocking effect, ,especially noticeable when large lumps are being handled, tends to build up a more or less solid arch over the conveyer, so as to exert a definite drag on the latter, and also to reduce the volumev of coal delivered to the discharge passage.

Thus, with my improved form of hopper, the vertical marginal walls 35, 36 serve to increase the capacity of the hopper, and also contribute to the arrangement of the gradually inclined bottom surfaces of the hopper so as to overcome any tendency of the coal to wedge or block at the restricted opening of the discharge passage. Moreover, said vertical marginal walls serve to guide the upper part of the coal stream gradually inward toward the discharge passage, while preventing spillage over the edges of the hopper as the coal stream is thus converged.

The drive mechanism for each rear wheel I6 consists of an electric motor 45 in casing 46 disposed longitudinally of the machine and forwardly of said wheel. Said casing is suitably supported on the adjacent side beam I2 as by a bracket 44 shown in Figure 5. An armature shaft 49 of the motor is connected by gears 50, 5I, to

a shaft 52 having a worm 53 thereon, disposed above the armature shaft. The worm 53 is meshed with worm gear 54 ilxed on a stub shaft 55. A pinion 56 is also fixed on said stub shaft and meshes with the drive gear 51 fixed on thc live axle 58 of wheel I6.

The.entire drive gearing just described has bearing support in and is enclosed by a gear casing 59 which is rigidly connected to the front end of the motor casing 46, and is also detachably mounted on a fiat base plate 60 suitably ilxed to the proximate beam I 2, as by welding, and having a supporting pin 6I projecting outwardly therefrom, as shown in Figure 3. The pin 6I is adapted to t in an aperture 62 formed in the gear casing 59. The latter casing is secured to the base plate by a plurality of bolts 63.

It will be observed that the live axle 58 has its inner end supported by an anti-friction bearing 65 recessed in the inner face of the gear casing 59, while the outer end of said axle is supported by an anti-friction bearing 66 mounted in a closure plate 61, detachably secured to the outer face of the casing 59 by bolts 6B. This arrangement permits the entire wheel assembly, includv ing the axle and its drive gear 51, to be readily 'dlsmounted from the casing 59, when desired, by removing the bolts 68 and withdrawing said wheel assembly endwise from said casing.

The cable reel structure 25, mounted on one side beam l2 between the front and rear wheels, includes a base plate .1d secured to the beam i2 as by bolts 1I, and having a horizontally disposed spindle 12 forming a support for the reel 13. Said reel comprises a hollow drum 14 with an inner web 15 having bearing support adjacent the base plate 1t, and a web 16 intermediate its ends, having bearing support on an anti-friction member 1l carried on the outer end of the spindle 12, as shown in Figure '1. Two collector rings 18, 19 of the type usually employed for carrying the current from the cable 80 on the reel lto conductors on the vehicle, are mounted on the outer side oiv the reel web 16, in position to be engaged by suitablecontacts (not shown) fixed on the outer end of the spindle as by a nut'l. is enclosed at its outer end by a detachable o... ..i,.`...,... .ml v

The cable reel isdriven by a motor 83 through a chain and sprocket drive 8l, and a suitable tensioning control means (not shown). A spooling device t5 of the usual construction is disposed forwardly of the reel, and is driven by a second chain and sprocket drive 850 extending from said reel, as shown in Figure 8.

The. cableil is adapted to .be trained forwardly romthe spooling-device-through and along a guldeway tt formed in the fender 2! and a. deck plate itt extending over and forwardly of the front wheel. A plurality of horizontal guide rollers d1, @l and vertical guide rollers td, Bb may be provided along the guideway 8b, as desired. At the iront end of said dech plate is mounted a guide wheel tion an upright shaft 9b, suitably fixed to the vehicle frame as by a horizontally extending bracket @l (see Figure lll). in extension arm t2, carrying a roller guide xture t@ at its cuter end, is pivotally 'mounted on the iower The reel drum 1l lli end oi the shaft et, so that said arm can swing through an arc of at least and side of the vehicle; With the cable 8d passed through the roller guide xture it, .as shown in Figures 4 and the cable will be automatically projected at a substantial distance from the side of the vehicle whenever the vehicle is moved so that the cable extends rearwardly ci the latter. 4

Inpthis way, danger of' injury to the cable by fouling with moving parts of the vehicle, is greatly minimized.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not Wish to be construed as limiting my invention to the specic embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a vehicle for transporting loose material, a wheel-supported main frame having a materiall carrying compartment therealong, and an endless conveyer extending along said compartment and forming the bottom thereof, said compartment including a pair of vertical side walls widened at one end of the vehicle to deiine a material-receiving hopper, and converging toward a relatively restricted discharge passage of substantially the same width as said conveyer, said hopper having bottom walls inclined inwardly from the bottom of said vertical walls toward said conveyer 'at relatively flat angles and the said bottom walls meeting the vertical walls of said restricted discharge passage below said converging vertical. side walls along upwardly and for wardly inclined angles so as to permit the mat/e rial to be transferred by said conveyer from said hopper to said restricted discharge passage in a gradually converging stream without substantial blocking of said stream, or spillage of material over the converging vertical side walls of said hopper.

l n. siren.

towards the iront 

